Mission Report DOW-UAP-D12: Observation of an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon in Iraq, May 2022

Source file: dow-uap-d12-mission-report-iraq-may-2022.pdf Originating agency: Department of Defense / DoD Modern UAP — USCENTCOM Date range: May 20, 2022, 0542Z to May 21, 2022, 0046Z Page count: 6 (all read) High-significance pages: 1 (main narrative), 5 (ISR and UAP data), 6 (detailed UAP observation)

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Official Blurb (from war.gov)

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or "general text" section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report. A U.S. military operator reported observing one UAP flying north to northeast. The observer reported following the UAP for as long as possible but was unable to positively identify it. All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter's subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

Summary

This is a secret U.S. Air Force MISREP, produced by the 196 ATKS within Operation INHERENT RESOLVE in Iraq, describing a reconnaissance mission lasting nearly 19 hours. During the mission, on May 20, 2022 at 2043Z, an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) was detected and tracked with FMV (Full Motion Video) equipment and SIGINT sensors. The aircraft's screener was unable to identify the object. The document was classified at the highest level and released to the public on October 8, 2025 following a decision by the USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, Major General Richard A. Harrison.

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Research Article

Introduction

On May 20, 2022, in the early morning hours by UTC, a U.S. Air Force unmanned aircraft took off from base OKAS (ICAO code) within Operation INHERENT RESOLVE — the ongoing U.S. military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The mission, recorded under the designation MISREP undefined-7528881 and flown by the 196 ATKS under the command of the 609 CAOC air operations center, included signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection and full-motion-video (FMV) visual reconnaissance. Late in the mission, an unidentified flying object was observed.

Operational framework and the mission

The mission was classified from the outset as SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY — that is, information partly shared with the Five Eyes partnership (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). The Combined Air Operations Center that provided oversight and coordination was the 609 CAOC, under the MAJCOM designated ACC (Air Combat Command) and under the combatant command of USCENTCOM.

The aircraft took off with a delay from OKAS at 0542Z due to communications issues. After takeoff, control transferred at 0551Z from the launch element to the LRE. A total duration of 18 hours and 54 minutes was declared, with the ISR asset deployed between 0927Z and 2121Z, supporting a classified military operation referred to as OP PHANTOM FLEX, whose precise details (the name of the supported force, the exact location) are still censored.

The aircraft's equipment included intelligence sensors of the AHv2 (AIRHANDLER Version 2) type and an ANDAS4 targeting pod. All electronic data fields (radar, RWR, ECM, weapons) were left unfilled in the report, from which it can be inferred that the aircraft was focused on an intelligence role rather than a combat role.

The UAP observation

At 2043Z, near the end of the ISR mission at 2121Z, while the aircraft operated at an altitude of 18,000 feet over Iraq, an unidentified flying object was detected. The observation details, per page 6 of the report:

Friendly aircraft position at the time of observation: grid 38S MC 85XX 77XX (exact location redacted).

UAP position at first sighting: grid 38S MC 79XX 70XX — a position distinct from the aircraft's, implying the object was observed from some distance.

Direction of travel: north to northeast.

Number of objects observed: 1.

Identification: unknown (UNK). The aircraft's screener attempted to identify the object and could not obtain a positive identification.

UAP altitude, speed, and track: all reported as UNK (unknown).

RF signatures: no frequencies detected; no radio-emission duration measured.

Effects on personnel: none reported.

Physical condition of the UAP: not reported.

Analysis of the available information

The central significance of this observation arises from the circumstances in which it occurred. The aircraft was equipped with highly advanced sensors — AIRHANDLER Version 2 for SIGINT collection and the ANDAS4 sensor for FMV documentation — and yet the trained screener could not identify the object. This situation distinguishes the report from ordinary human responses to an unknown object, which typically end in rapid identification.

The fact that no RF frequencies were measured from the object, and that its altitude, speed, and track all remained unknown, indicates that sensor tracking, too, yielded no unambiguous results. The summarizing sentence in the report — "SCREENER COULD NOT GET A POSITIVE ID ON THE UAP" — is the substantive heart of the entire document.

The aircraft followed the object "as long as possible," from which it can be understood that the object behaved in a manner uncharacteristic of known commercial or military aircraft; otherwise there would have been no delay in identifying it.

Connection to the operational environment

Operation INHERENT RESOLVE in Iraq operates in a complex air environment that includes various actors: U.S. and coalition forces, Iraqi forces, Iranian-backed militias (PMF), and drones launched by different parties. Within this, an object that cannot be attributed to any of these identities, and that advanced intelligence sensors could not identify, constitutes a unique observation requiring examination.

The 609 CAOC that commanded the mission is one of the most advanced air centers in the world, and its personnel are experienced in identifying a wide range of aircraft and threats. Non-identification by these elements strengthens the relevance of the report.

Significance

This document, disclosed after years of classification under MDR 25-0094 through 25-0099, is part of a broader DoD effort to collect and analyze UAP reports from operational missions. The principal implications:

First, UAP observations are documented in official military reports and are not a marginal phenomenon. Specifically, even when the operating aircraft carried advanced SIGINT and FMV equipment, the object was not identified.

Second, the report was forwarded to AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office), the body established in 2022 to centralize UAP analysis within the U.S. government, indicating that the Department of Defense saw intelligence value in this observation.

Third, the Iraq 2022 context adds a strategic dimension: this is an environment saturated with drones from various sources, and yet the observed object did not match any known platform.

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Key People

• Major General Richard A. Harrison — USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, signed the declassification on October 8, 2025.
• POC (point of contact) — Senior Airman (SrA), 163 AW, 609 CAOC — name censored (FOIA exemptions (b)(3), 130b, (b)(6)).
• QC (quality control) — Contractor (Ctr), 12 AF PAROC — name censored.
• APPROVER — Technical Sergeant (TSgt), 609 AOC, 609 CAOC — name censored.
• Operating unit: 196 ATKS (Attack Squadron 196).

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Locations

• OKAS — the aircraft's takeoff and landing base (ICAO code; the base identity is classified, likely located in a Gulf state).
• Iraq — the general operational environment.
• Grid 89AS — the killbox of the ISR operating area.
• 38S MC 361XX 201XX — the Tasked Start Point of the ISR (partially censored).
• 38S MC 851XX 771XX — the aircraft's position at the time of the UAP observation (partially censored).
• 38S MC 791XX 701XX — the location of the UAP's first sighting (partially censored).

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Incidents

Incident	Date	Location	Pages
Delayed takeoff due to communications issues	May 20, 2022, 0542Z	OKAS	1, 4
Start of SIGINT collection (AHv2)	May 20, 2022, 0614Z	Iraq	1
Support to OP PHANTOM FLEX (ISR)	May 20, 2022, 0927Z	Grid 38S MC	1, 5
Observation of an unidentified UAP	May 20, 2022, 2043Z	Grid 38S MC 79XX 70XX	5, 6
Aircraft cleared to return to base	May 20, 2022, 2121Z	Iraq	1, 5
Landing at base OKAS	May 21, 2022, 0036Z	OKAS	4

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Notable Quotes

"AT 2043Z, [CALLSIGN REDACTED] OBSERVED A UAP FLY NORTH TO NORTH EAST AND FOLLOWED AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. [CALLSIGN REDACTED] SCREENER COULD NOT GET A POSITIVE ID ON THE UAP." — page 6, GENTEXT/UAP

"FROM 0614Z TO 2346Z, [ASSET REDACTED] COLLECTED SIGINT VIA AIRHANDLER VERSION 2." — page 1, Narrative

"[ASSET] WAS EFFECTIVE." (regarding the overall ISR mission) — page 5, EFFECTIVENESS

"WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR." — page 5, WEATHER